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Meliá to open first hotel in Río de Janeiro, in time for 2016 Olympics

Dec 13, 2015

The famous ‘Hotel Nacional’ in Río will reopen after a thorough renovation to create the luxurious facilities expected of a Gran Meliá Hotel, once named the most modern building in Latin America, this masterpiece by the architect Oscar Niemeyer aims to reclaim its place as the best hotel in Río de Janeiro.

Meliá Hotels International today announced a major milestone in one of the most important destinations in the Americas: the reopening of the famous Hotel National designed by Oscar Niemeyer, one of the fathers of modern architecture. Built in 1972, the hotel has been closed for several decades, and has now been taken over by Meliá Hotels International with the challenge of returning it to its former glory with the exquisite product and service standards expected of the luxurious Gran Meliá hotel brand.

The hotel was a key location in the heyday of Rio de Janeiro, when it was the destination of artists such as Liza Minnelli, BB King, and James Brown, and also hosted the Rio Film Festival. Its magnificent facilities are now being renovated to accommodate 417 rooms from 33 to 300 m2, including 2 presidential suites and 50 executive suites, plus an avant-garde gastronomic restaurant and modern bars in the lobby and on the penthouse terrace, with spectacular 360 degree views of Rio de Janeiro and the San Conrado bay, close to Ipanema and Copacabana.